My aim is to offer insights into some of the more subtle principles underpinning prints. The commentary is based on thirty-eight years of teaching and the prints and other collectables that I am focusing on are those which I have acquired over the years.
In the galleries of prints (accessed by clicking the links immediately below) I am also adding fresh images offered for sale. If you get lost in the maze of links, simply click the "home" button to return to the blog discussions.

Gallery of prints for sale

Friday, 1 July 2016

Ike no Taiga's ink painting of bamboo

Ike no Taiga (池大雅; aka. Ikeno Taiga) (1723–1776)

“Bamboo”
[descriptive title only], ink on paper, signed with the artist’s name and laid
down on a support sheet.

(Note, one of
the key traditions of Oriental painting is to copy old masters. Although I reasonably
confident that this painting is genuinely by Ike no Taiga, please understand
that this I may be misguided and it is by a very early copyist. The strength
and subtlety of the brushwork supports this view as does the clear age of the
work.)

Size: (sheet)
32 x 42.4 cm

Condition: the
sheet is in poor condition with fading at the edges and with abrasions and
holes. Nevertheless the clear patina of age when viewed with the economy and
light touch of the brushwork makes this seemingly simple painting beautiful.

I am selling
this delicate painting of bamboo by a well-known artist from the 18th
century for a total cost of AU$389 (currently US$291.73/EUR262.07/GBP219.75 the
time of this listing) including postage and handling to anywhere in the world.
(Please note that the low asking price for this painting, which would normally
sell for at least US$3000, is simply because I purchased the painting at an
auction when there with few bidders and I am not seeking a substantial profit.)

If you are
interested in purchasing this simple but lovely early Japanese artist, please
contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal
invoice to make the payment easy.

This seemingly
lightly executed painting of bamboo is ideal for explaining the attributes of
quality in Oriental brushwork.

Let me begin
with the treatment of the nodes on each stem (i.e. the bumps). The brushstrokes
describing these nodes show thickening of the stem as it approaches the node
and the treatment of the sheath scar (i.e. where the leaf has fallen off)
there is a “U” shape configuration of strokes designed to suggest that the
viewpoint is either looking down, looking up, or looking at the sheath at eye
level. Interestingly the latter configuration is more of a “Z” than a “U” shape—an
artistic compromise for showing uncertainty of viewpoint.

How a brush is
loaded with ink (i.e. the tip of the brush is dipped in black while the hair
closer to the ferrule is watered down to a lighter grey) is also an important
element in giving “life” and “form” to each stroke. Note for instance how the
left edge of each stroke tends to be crisp and black while the edges on the
right side are softer and lighter in tone, suggesting that Ike no Taiga was a right-handed artist.

While there are
so many indicators of quality, the final attribute that I wish
to highlight is the alignment of the leaves to suggest where the fine stems of
the bamboo would be, even though they are not necessarily shown.